Teresa Benitez-Thompson
Benitez-Thompson’s platform states “U.S. military aid to Israel should not be unconditional”, backing a phase-out of offensive-arms funding, conditioned sales, restored UNRWA funding, and a two-state pathway, while refusing AIPAC money and keeping funding for defensive systems.
Benitez-Thompson, a former Nevada Assembly majority leader, is the Democratic nominee in Nevada’s 2nd District.
Her published platform is unusually specific and carries the card. In her own words: "My position is that U.S. military aid to Israel should not be unconditional and that Israel should not receive blank checks from the United States. This is why I support phasing out direct financial support for offensive arms sales to Israel." The same section commits to "Conditioning U.S. military aid to Israel on compliance with U.S. law and international humanitarian law", arms sales conditioned on ceasefire compliance, humanitarian aid at the scale the crisis requires including restored UNRWA funding, an end to settlement expansion or annexation in the West Bank, a two-state pathway with Palestinian-led rebuilding in Gaza, and continued "funding for defense systems like the Iron Dome so Israel can protect itself from terrorist attacks."
The platform also states she will not accept "campaign money from organizations who don’t support this change, including AIPAC." Jewish Insider reported in August 2026 her criticism that the United Nations "had the opportunity to leverage sanctions" over Gaza "but they didn’t move forward with any action", and noted her opponent’s campaign characterizes her platform as giving in to antisemitism, a partisan characterization carried on the research page.
Her antisemitism plank supports increased hate-crime grant funding and the Sacred Act’s buffer zones around places of worship.
Research
U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel
- [Position, standing platform] Her policy page, verified and quoted on the card: no unconditional aid, phase-out of offensive-arms funding, conditioned sales, defensive-systems funding kept. Recorded on the date we read it; the research notes the platform was updated June 2025.
- [Reported, 2026-05-26] The Nevada Independent reported she said she would have voted for resolutions limiting U.S. aid to Israel; reported, not confirmed directly.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- [Position, standing platform] The policy page, verified: humanitarian aid at crisis scale and restored UNRWA funding.
Characterization of the conflict
- [Position, standing platform] The policy page, verified: the Netanyahu government’s policies "crossed lines", settlement-expansion opposition, two-state pathway. Her platform’s Iran reference sits inside her own sentence and stays off the front.
- [Statement, 2026-08-13] Jewish Insider, verified: the U.N.-sanctions criticism.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- [Position, standing platform] The AIPAC-money refusal in her own platform text, verified; The Nevada Independent’s primary coverage confirms the AIPAC-shunning pact among the Democratic field.
- [Opposition attack, 2026-08-13] The Flippo campaign’s statement to Jewish Insider that she "has given into the rising anti-semitism of her own party by refusing donations from American citizens who support Israel"; JI itself notes she has said she will reject AIPAC support, "not necessarily all supporters of Israel, as suggested by the Flippo campaign". Carried as a partisan attack with JI’s correction alongside.
Safety and antisemitism
- [Position, standing platform] The policy page, verified: hate-crime grant funding and the Sacred Act.
Race and status context
- Democratic nominee in a Republican-leaning open seat against David Flippo, whose card carries its own record.
Also in this race: David Flippo (Republican) · All Nevada candidates.
See the full record →But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. Every claim on this page goes through at least two verification steps. Open the interactive card for votes, funding and contact details.